The Imperfect Tense

 The imparfait (imperfect tense) is a French past tense used to describe actions that were ongoing or habitual in the past. It also sets the scene for events that took place in the past.

WHERE TO USE?

1. Habitual Actions in the Past

  • To describe actions that were done repeatedly or habitually in the past.

    • Example: "Quand j'étais enfant, je jouais souvent au parc." (When I was a child, I often played in the park.)

2. Ongoing Actions in the Past

  • To describe actions that were in progress at a specific moment in the past.

    • Example: "Il lisait quand je suis entré." (He was reading when I entered.)

3. Background Descriptions

  • To provide background descriptions of scenes, weather, emotions, and settings in the past.

    • Example: "Il faisait beau et le soleil brillait." (The weather was beautiful, and the sun was shining.)

    • Example: "La maison était grande et ancienne." (The house was big and old.)

4. Interrupted Actions

  • To describe an action that was happening when another action (in the passé composé) interrupted it.

    • Example: "Je travaillais quand tu as appelé." (I was working when you called.)

5. Emotional and Mental States

  • To describe emotional and mental states or conditions in the past.

    • Example: "Elle était heureuse de te voir." (She was happy to see you.)

6. Setting the Scene

  • To set the scene for a story or provide context for past events.

    • Example: "C'était un jour d'hiver, il neigeait, et tout le monde était à la maison." (It was a winter day, it was snowing, and everyone was at home.)

7. Describing Age, Time, and Weather

  • To describe someone's age, the time of day, or the weather in the past.

    • Example: "J'avais dix ans à l'époque." (I was ten years old at the time.)

    • Example: "Il était midi quand nous sommes partis." (It was noon when we left.)

    • Example: "Il pleuvait souvent dans cette région." (It rained often in this region.)


FORMATION OF IMPARFAIT

Steps to Form the Imparfait:

  1. Start with the nous form of the present tense:

    • Find the nous form of the verb in the present tense.

    • Example: nous parlons (we speak), nous finissons (we finish), nous prenons (we take).

  2. Remove the -ons ending:

    • Remove the -ons ending from the nous form to find the stem.

    • Example: parl-, finiss-, pren-.

  3. Add the imparfait endings:

    • Add the appropriate imparfait ending to the stem.

    • The imparfait endings are:

      • Je: -ais

      • Tu: -ais

      • Il/Elle/On: -ait

      • Nous: -ions

      • Vous: -iez

      • Ils/Elles: -aient

Examples:

Parler (to speak)

  • Nous parlons -> parl-

    • Je parlais (I was speaking)

    • Tu parlais (You were speaking)

    • Il/Elle/On parlait (He/She/One was speaking)

    • Nous parlions (We were speaking)

    • Vous parliez (You were speaking)

    • Ils/Elles parlaient (They were speaking)

Finir (to finish)

  • Nous finissons -> finiss-

    • Je finissais (I was finishing)

    • Tu finissais (You were finishing)

    • Il/Elle/On finissait (He/She/One was finishing)

    • Nous finissions (We were finishing)

    • Vous finissiez (You were finishing)

    • Ils/Elles finissaient (They were finishing)

Prendre (to take)

  • Nous prenons -> pren-

    • Je prenais (I was taking)

    • Tu prenais (You were taking)

    • Il/Elle/On prenait (He/She/One was taking)

    • Nous prenions (We were taking)

    • Vous preniez (You were taking)

    • Ils/Elles prenaient (They were taking)

Special Case: Être

  • Être (to be) is the only irregular verb in the imparfait. Its stem is ét-.

    • Examples:

      • J'étais (I was)

      • Tu étais (You were)

      • Il/Elle/On était (He/She/One was)

      • Nous étions (We were)

      • Vous étiez (You were)

      • Ils/Elles étaient (They were)

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